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Following God includes trust, understanding, and risk! -- Esther 4:1-17 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 28, 2013 AM Tyler felt that after his call from God he should have been given a clear sign. When he sought the advice of others, they cautioned him as to his calling. Most did not see that God was actually calling Tyler to be a pastor. In fact, one of the deacons in the church who taught at the local seminary bluntly told him that he needed to work on his interpersonal skills first. Tyler went ahead, signed up for seminary, and soon was working at a nearby church. Within the year, Tyler had quit seminary and was let go from his church position. Occasionally folks expect God to do everything and then blame Him when things in life do not turn out the way they think they should; this is not only unrealistic, it is unbiblical. Whatever had been Mordecai’s reasons for not bowing to Haman, he was now in great mourning. His feud with Haman, whether legitimate or not, had caused a gre...

Following God includes loyalty -- Esther 3 By Pastor Lee Hemen April 21, 2013 AM Sandra struggled with two seemingly irreconcilable forces in her life. She believed God had called her to be a missionary but she could not believe He would send her to such a dangerous place. Like many Christians Sandra has falsely assumed God’s primary function is to protect, preserve, and prosper His people. They focus on Scriptures that affirm God’s love and care for His own. These believers assume God would not lead them to serve Him where they would be uncomfortable, much less, where there is potential danger. However, God’s objective is to carry out His purposes through His people. Those purposes may require His people to serve Him at great personal risk. The Lord expects His people to exercise faith as they serve Him in the risky situations into which He leads them. Perhaps we forget that following God includes loyalty even when there is risk involved. The plot of the Book of Esther t...

Esther 2:1-23 – Inner beauty and outer beauty! By Pastor Lee Hemen April 14, 2013 AM Jesus once related, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.’” (Mark 7:20-23 NIV) While in our day and age we place great importance on outward beauty, we discover biblically that what matters most is what is inside a person. This is what reflects the true inner qualities of a person. During the days of Esther, folks were not much different than they are today; they valued outward appearance more then what was found inside. My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from Profes...

Esther 1:1-22 – Obedience and responsibility! By Pastor Lee Hemen April 7, 2013 AM The Book of Esther is entitled by the Jews, “the volume of Esther,” or simply “the volume.” In ancient times, it was always written on a separate roll, which was read entirely at the Feast of Purim. The Greek translators retained only “Esther,” which became the ordinary title with Christians. There is much controversy concerning the date of “Esther.” The extreme minuteness of the details and vividness of the portraits in “Esther” suggest it was written by the hand of a contemporary rather than someone who lived long after the events commemorated. The entire tone of the book is in accord with the history, which it narrates, and is not unlike that of Zechariah. Therefore, overall, there is no sufficient ground for placing the composition of Esther later than that of Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Esther is the only book of the Bible in which the name of God is not mentioned. The New Testament...

Doubting Thomas – John 20:24-29 By Pastor Lee Hemen March 31, 2013 I was wondering what you thought about doubt. You know what I mean do you doubt yourself. Perhaps as you head to the finals of your education, you doubt the outcome. Maybe it is the future you have serious doubts about or a significant other. Perhaps, in your darkest moments, you have even doubted him who died for you. While we can be doubting Thomases at different times in our life, we should not live our lives in such suspicion. The one who made us has a plan for our lives. And, in that plan, he will never leave us nor forsake us. Cast you doubts aside because he cares for you. If you doubt what I am saying, try it and you will discover your uncertainties vanish. Many of us are familiar with the story of Thomas and this morning we will return to the theme that we have been presented. It is an extremely important message for our day and age as well. The tomb is empty, some have seen the risen Lord, and so...